‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i>
The polyvalent nature of water is one often explored in fiction by Caribbean writers, and this paper will consider the ways that the representations of mermaids act as an extension of this exploration. Mermaids are central to a number of folk traditions across the Caribbean region and its diaspora....
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2025-07-01
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| author | Leighan Renaud |
| author_facet | Leighan Renaud |
| author_sort | Leighan Renaud |
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| description | The polyvalent nature of water is one often explored in fiction by Caribbean writers, and this paper will consider the ways that the representations of mermaids act as an extension of this exploration. Mermaids are central to a number of folk traditions across the Caribbean region and its diaspora. On islands, including Trinidad, Martinique, Carriacou, and Haiti, with names such as Fairymaid, Mama Glo, and La Siren, mermaids are often regarded as mothers and protectresses of both the sea and the creatures within it. This paper will analyse the representation of the mermaid in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> (2020) and consider how the novel utilises the mermaid and an aquatic poetics to explore Kamau Brathwaite’s conceptualisation of a submarine unity for the Caribbean. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5e198bceef34480a8cfee116a46396b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5e198bceef34480a8cfee116a46396b2025-08-20T02:45:46ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872025-07-0114715410.3390/h14070154‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i>Leighan Renaud0Department of English, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UKThe polyvalent nature of water is one often explored in fiction by Caribbean writers, and this paper will consider the ways that the representations of mermaids act as an extension of this exploration. Mermaids are central to a number of folk traditions across the Caribbean region and its diaspora. On islands, including Trinidad, Martinique, Carriacou, and Haiti, with names such as Fairymaid, Mama Glo, and La Siren, mermaids are often regarded as mothers and protectresses of both the sea and the creatures within it. This paper will analyse the representation of the mermaid in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> (2020) and consider how the novel utilises the mermaid and an aquatic poetics to explore Kamau Brathwaite’s conceptualisation of a submarine unity for the Caribbean.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/14/7/154mermaidsaquaticCaribbeanwomen’s writingcontemporary literature |
| spellingShingle | Leighan Renaud ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> Humanities mermaids aquatic Caribbean women’s writing contemporary literature |
| title | ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> |
| title_full | ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> |
| title_fullStr | ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> |
| title_short | ‘I Have Seen the Sea’: Caribbean Aquatic Poetics in Monique Roffey’s <i>The Mermaid of Black Conch</i> |
| title_sort | i have seen the sea caribbean aquatic poetics in monique roffey s i the mermaid of black conch i |
| topic | mermaids aquatic Caribbean women’s writing contemporary literature |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/14/7/154 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leighanrenaud ihaveseentheseacaribbeanaquaticpoeticsinmoniqueroffeysithemermaidofblackconchi |